Archive for the ‘Austin Businesses’ Category

For years we’ve watched the 50-acre site on Highway 620 at Flint Rock Trace near Lakeway with interest. First there were signs with the announcement of a new hospital on it. Then dirt began to move. Then dirt stopped moving. Then the site sat still. And then it sat still some more. Then rumors swirled that the financing for the project fell through. (Rumors that proved to be true.)

Then more news (that financing had been secured.) And better yet, that it was government-backed financing. And now here we are on the eve of Thanksgiving 2010 and construction of an over one million square foot medical complex is in full swing!

That’s right. I said over one million square feet; 1,100,000 when fully-phased to be precise. To give you an idea of the scale, that’s very close to the size of the nearby Hill Country Galleria.

With a 170-bed hospital at its core, the Lakeway Regional Medical Center site also includes two medical office buildings, parking garages, a day care center, an extended-stay hotel, and a retail center with shops and restaurants.

The hospital will be operated by a group of doctors who have, collectively, invested $40 million of their own money in the construction of the $200 million+ project. According to the developers, as a physician-operated hospital, the doctors will have much more control over patient care and how the hospital is run than they would ever have in a traditionally-managed, corporate-run hospital.

The hospital is scheduled to have a Level 1 Trauma Center (the highest level of trauma care in the nation.) As a point of reference, only Brackenridge and Dell Children’s Medical Center offer Level 1 Trauma centers in the Austin-area. Otherwise, as it was pointed out to me in a recent presentation that I attended hosted by the hospital developers, a Level 1 trauma center is a 45-minute helicopter ride from here.

As for the economic impact to the area, the hospital piece alone will initially employ nearly 1,500 people. Likewise, from ancillary services like pharmacies to home health care to linen suppliers, I am told that each bed in a hospital like this has the potential to add 20 jobs to the local economy. That’s over 3,000 new jobs created. Moreover, as it stands, over half of the doctors slated to come to the new hospital are coming from out of the Austin area. These doctors and their staffs will likely see virtue in living near the complex. This means real estate sales.

The magnitude of the financial impact the hospital could have on the area is mind-boggling. Will it add to an already difficult traffic situation? Almost certainly. Will it add to the development and re-development of the surrounding area? Probably so. But the reality is that population in this area of Austin is predicted to double in the next 10 years. That kind of population must have quality medical care, both emergency and non-critical, in the area. The fact that a first-class, physician-managed facility might just be the offering is a real coup for area residents current and future.

After an almost two-year hiatus from the music scene, Austin’s most famous outdoor music venue, The Backyard is preparing to making it’s much-anticipated return in Bee Cave.

With most of the rest of us, I was heartbroken when it was announced in 2008 that The Backyard was closing its doors as a result of being squeezed out by the encroaching development that is the Shops at The Galleria.

But this may just be one of those rare instances where the newer version IS actually a better one. The new location, just west and north of the old one (on the opposite side of Highway 71). Is in a larger, more picturesque setting with…. wait for it… AMPLE PARKING. That’s right, the owners are promising plenty of parking ON SITE! No more parking a mile down 71 and trekking the oftentimes dangerous and dusty paths along a highway carrying cars speeding along at 60+ miles an hour.

Looks like first up will be an “exclusive, First-Look” event on Saturday, May 1st, followed by the Gypsy Kings on May 6th and then Willie’s famous 4th of July picnic this mid-summer.

Newflower is a part of the Sunflower Farmers Markets chain (www.sfmarkets.com), a rapidly growing chain of full-service grocery stores offering consumers high quality natural and organic products at lower prices than traditional organic/health food stores.

Founded almost 10 years ago, Newflower’s niche is in providing a value option in the natural and organic foods industry. They have 27 retail stores located throughout Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Texas. By keeping their overhead low — no frills stores, no big corporate offices — they aim to provide good, healthy “better than supermarket” grocery options at regular or “better than supermarket” prices.

I tried them out today and love it. Planning for a little “in home” Valentine’s Day supper, we bought 3 good-size, hormone-free New York Strip steaks for $3 a piece! For a “surf and turf” option we were tempted to add some great-looking 5 oz lobster tails for $4 each.

Check out this week’s sales flyer for some of the other awesome deals on HEALTHY food items!

Schlitterbahn Waterparks is expected to announce shortly that it plans to develop a new waterpark and resort on a hundred acre tract in Cedar Park. What would be the company’s 5th major park, is widely rumored to cost well over $100 million to develop.

According to a company spokesperson, the plans they intend to announce this Thursday evening are of a “resort destination, much more elaborate than the waterpark most people think [they] are announcing.” The plans are set to be unveiled at the Cedar Park Public Library at 550 Discovery Blvd, this Thursday evening at 5:30.

Although I am both a fan of wine (no I wouldn’t say “enthusiast” or “spectator” by any means, my taste usually runs in the $12-$20/bottle range!) and an Austinite, until recently I did not have much exposure to the wines of the Texas Hill Country. I’ll even admit shying away from the Texas wines section when selecting a bottle. That all changed Thanksgiving weekend, when I enjoyed a local wine tour in celebration of my good friend’s 30th birthday. I had such a great time that I wanted to share my experiences with you–particularly because, as you may know from my previous post, I’ve been injured and unable to update my hiking blog. Drinking wine, unlike hiking, can be comfortably done with a plastic boot cast on.

First and foremost, I have to applaud my friend for her genius idea: renting a bus for the tour! The nice folks at Marriton Limo picked up two groups (both north Austin and South Austin locations chosen by our hostess) so that we could all ride together in comfort and safety while we enjoyed our adult beverages. Such a cool idea and HIGHLY recommended if you are going with a large group. The tour consisted of visits to four wineries, with tastings at each stop. The tastings ranged from about $5-$10 per winery, so the total I spent–before gifts I purchased at the wineries–was only about $25. What a deal! Here’s a breakdown of the wineries we visited.

Texas Hills Vineyard: Their tasting room was small and pretty crowded, and although their wines have a decidedly Italian influence (they mostly grow grapes associated with Italian wines, such as moscato (Muscat), sangiovese, and the first Pinot Grigio produced in Texas), their premises are designed in the style of a French bistro. Lots of wood and a chalkboard listing wine specials, plus a little cooler of cheeses, spreads and sauces for sale, small gift shop area and an outdoor patio, also fairly petite. All of the vineyards we visited were picturesque–it was the Texas Hill Country–but in terms of beauty and ambiance, I would have to say that this was my least favorite. However, they did have a cat and a dog, and I do appreciate a business with mascots.

We tasted a 5-wine series, the most notable of which to my mind was the 2007 Toro de Tejas, a blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, which their website describes as having “soft tannins” and flavors of “dark berries and plum, and just a hint of spice.” Yum! I had a glass of that after our tasting round, while many of my tour-mates enjoyed a glass of the 2006 Kick Butt Cab (as the name suggests, a Cabernet Sauvignon) as well as their 2006 Syrah offering. Then, a few nibbles of cheese and veggies from our Spec’s deli tray, and we were off to our next stop!

Becker Vineyards: Becker had no shortage of ambience or yummy wines! Their lovely grounds include 3 acres of lavender fields, which were absolutely beautiful on a cloudy November day. The winery was designed with hosting events in mind, as it features a tasting room with a gorgeous antique bar and spacious covered patio, as well as the separate Lavender Haus reception hall. While crowded–what did we expect for a holiday weekend?–it was spacious enough to be very comfortable for our tastings and for our large group to toast our hostess’s birthday.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Becker was that they allowed us to choose our own wines for the tastings instead of offering a pre-selected package. As I subscribe to my family’s old adage that you “only drink white wine when you are out of red,” this allowed me to focus on my faves and leave the rest to the others. I enjoyed almost all of the wines I tried, but ended up picking up a bottle of the 2007 Claret, a Cabernet-heavy blend which “produces essences of raspberries, chocolate, and spices,” for myself; and for my stepdad, who likes most reds but has been enjoying Zinfandels particularly of late, the 2008 Zinfandel. I would gladly drink any of the reds I tried at Becker again, including the Iconoclast Cabernet, Grenache, Malbec, or the Raven–a super-dark, Malbec-Petite Verdot blend that was delicious!

Becker also harvests and makes bath products from their fragrant lavender, like super-scented soaps and bath salts. A favorite stop on this tour.

Torre di Pietra: Texas wine with an Italian flair. This winery had a sort of whimsical, Tuscan feel to it, but the staff didn’t seem too knowledgeable about the wines. I tried a variety of reds, including the 2006 Primitivo and Black Spanish, and the 2005 Claret and Petite Syrah, as well as the Texas Dirty Girl Chardonnay. Many of these wines seemed to have an herbal complexity to them that was in contrast to the red berry flavors of the vineyards we had previously visited; I enjoyed that but some of my companions thought these wines had too much going on.

I have to give high marks to the atmosphere at Torre di Pietra…the patio boasted a cozy outdoor fireplace, and beyond that was a covered pavilion where live music wafted through the air and patrons two-stepped. I could have relaxed here for much longer, but eventually we headed off to our last stop…

Grape Creek Vineyards: Grape Creek’s website promises “Tuscany in Texas,” and the grounds don’t disappoint. It was a perfect place to end the day as the sun was setting. However, I didn’t like the cattle-herding approach to wine tastings that they employed. In the first series of tastings, they introduced their white label wines, which were fairly unmemorable in my estimation. The staff in this portion of the tour had a hard time answering questions or making recommendations about which wines to try. We did get a take-home wine glass for our tastings, which has since become a favorite of mine. After the white label offerings, we were whisked away to the black label tasting room, where some of Grape Creek’s prize-winning (and pricier) offerings were being poured. We tried the 2007 Cabernet/Syrah and Bellissimo, but were disappointed that the winery’s award-winning Mosaic blend was not available for tasting. The black label staff knew their stuff, but seemed a bit rehearsed in their presentation. These wines were yummier, but a little pricey for everyday consumption ($36 and up.) Maybe for a nice dinner party, not for just any old Friday lasagna night!

In summary, if you live in Central Texas and like wine, you should tour at least once. In a group it can be inexpensive and fun. I highly recommend packing a picnic lunch and lots of water to ensure plenty of munchies and hydration along the way. And if you are unsure of the quality of Texas wines, you will have a better appreciation after touring. I can proudly say that I have purchased Becker Vineyards’ Claret a couple of times since attending the tour in late November, and it has never disappointed!

As many of you know, Maudie’s restaurants announced a while back that they were planning a new restaurant in the bustling Bee Cave area near the new Hill Country Galleria. What remained a mystery to most of us was where exactly this new Maudie’s would be and when it might open.

With the recent demise of El Arroyo Bee Cave, we’re all clamoring for a new place to get our Tex-Mex fill. Iron Cactus is great, don’t get me wrong. I love the location right on the outdoor amphitheater; especially if there’s live music. But, if I’m being totally honest it’s got a little bit of a Dallasy vibe to it that just doesn’t feel like Austin Tex-Mex to me.

Enter Maudie’s. These folks have been putting food on the table in Austin since the 50s. And in the early 90s when they changed the menu to Tex-Mex, they did it in a way that Austinites appreciate. The Bee Cave location will be their 6th in town and it appears they are going to do it right.

Their plans have now been approved by the City of Bee Cave, but they are saying publicly that they are timing the start of construction in such a way that the restaurant will not open until June 2010 or thereabouts.

The restaurant site is located on the eastern entrance to the Shops at the Galleria behind the old Jim Bob’s BBQ (now The Trading Post Wine Bar and Grill.) They plan to build a 5500 square foot free-standing restaurant with a 4000 square foot deck area and a rooftop cantina. Key design points for the eatery include a “hillside cocktail/waiting area embracing the existing arroyo and oak trees” and an “open rooftop deck rimmed by cushioned buncos and serviced by an upstairs margarita bar and appetizer station.” I can deal with that.

Unbelievable! Congress signed the bill today creating a $6,500 credit for people who buy a home now after living in their current home at least five years. Friends, you combine that with 5% interest rates and negotiable sellers and this is an opportunity to buy a home we will likely never see again. It’s for a limited time though. Call or email me and I’ll give you the scoop.

One of the things that I love the most about Austin is our community’s commitment to local businesses. That wouldn’t be possible without tons of great local companies TO support! By luck or by design, we’ve become a germinating ground where really cool, socially responsible, innovative, and community-supporting companies can flourish.

I decided that I’d like to shine a light on some of these companies, and my first one, as you may have guessed from the graphic, is University Federal Credit Union. Since it was established in 1936, I’m guessing the landscape of Austin looked very, very different when UFCU first opened for business. However, they’ve been a strong, not for profit, members-owned credit union ever since!

I shouldn’t have to extol the benefits of credit union membership to you; financial personalities such as Clark Howard have already done that. I will say that as a long-time member of UFCU, I have been personally impressed by their commitment to their members and their interest in bettering the Austin community, with great rates, financial education programs for kids, teens, and grown-ups alike, and more. Finally, and perhaps most importantly to our clients, they are often the best and least expensive source for their members to obtain a loan, whether that loan is for a car, education, or my favorite…the home of your dreams.

Other real estate and mortgage professionals can attest that this year has been an interesting time to shop for a loan. Even some buyers that last year we’d have thought of as “bullet-proof”, with high credit scores and cash reserves, have been the victim of overzealous lending practices as the market swings back towards more conservative lending practices in an effort to stem the tide of toxic loans. UFCU has been a voice of reason in actually speaking with their members (novel concept!), assessing whether or not the loan makes sense based on their complete financial picture, and finally, getting the deal closed quickly. You aren’t just a loan application number to UFCU, with a loan processor in another state. Your loan staff is here in town, working on your file, and available for you to speak to in person.